She's Mine
by Stranded With Plums
Summary: He's a veteran, she's a newbie-it'll never work. Or will it? L/S
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Cold Case.

The Newbie: First day on the job

"Detective...Lily Rush, I presume?" John Stillman eyed he over his paperwork, while ushering her to sit down.

"Yes sir. I am from the academy, newly graduated, but did so with top honors. I was told to report here for assignment," Lily stated.

A few moments of dead air collected before Stillman continued on with his instructions for her regarding the field and department training.

"Now detective, you will be shadowing one of our veterans for a couple of months before we can release you out on the field by yourself. You'll be working with Detective Partin, lead on one of our best homicide teams. He'll get you acquainted with the ropes and various in and outs of the department. Make sure you're comfortable before letting you go solo. It's procedure as you may understand for all detectives to go through this type of mentoring first," He finished, nervous of how she would react to his last statements.

Many young detectives found it offensive to suggest that after all the schooling completed and what not, that such detectives were still not ready to go it alone. Some even turned on their heels and walked out in search of better hopes of getting a case all their own first time out of the gate. They always came back apologetic, though wiser in the end.

"Of course, sure. I understand," She answered back compliantly.

"Good. I'll go and see if Detective Partin is ready for you," and with a flash he was out the office door leaving a fresh Lily Rush to sit alone with her thoughts.

She could hear various paper shuffles and muted conversations streaming in from outside desks, but most importantly she heard the muffled sounds of Partin and Stillman as they made their way to the latter's office.

"Yes, she will be with you..." Stillman was cut short by Partin's sudden salutation.

"Well, you must be Lily Rush," a little man of no more than five feet and four inches tall anxiously stuck out his hand towards the obviously taller blond before continuing "I have heard so much about you already and you still smell like you just came out of the oven," it was the last line of sentencing that shot a grave look upon Partin's face, effectively draining all color from his protruding features.

At this revelation, Lily simply gleamed back at the poor man, while releasing her trademark smile. Partin took this as a "no harm, no foul" response, gladly basking in her forgiving nature.

"So, I guess we'll be on our way. Lots of work to do and so little time," Partin stated more out of uneasiness.

"You'll do fine Detective Rush...," and for the second time within a ten-minute span, Stillman was yet again interrupted in mid-sentence.

The cause of the interruption came blazing up to Stillman, face set and hands balled into fists.

"Boss, tell me why Angless decided to take over my case! It was MY case!" the man shouted furiously.

Stillman sighed automatically and put a comforting hand upon the wounded detective's shoulder and walked towards an empty office leaving Partin and Rush to their own devices.

Staring after the two men, especially the dark-haired Latino, Lily finally grabbed some courage and inquired, "Who was that?".

"Oh, that was Scotty Valens-Cold Case Division extraordinaire," sensing her knowledge for more information, he continued on in his blasé manner "He used to work in homicide, but now only has an affinity for cold cases. He was transferred a few years back to his current department after his girlfriend of six years threw herself off a bridge. So sad really, but just steer clear of him and no harm will come to you."

Lily had already tuned out the annoying clanging of Partin's voice, instead choosing to focus on the handsome man standing just a few feet away in Stillman's office.

_Can he be all that bad?,_ she thought silently as Partin walked past her.

"You coming?" he asked innocently.

Recovering slightly, she nodded and followed her mentor to his desk.

"Oh, Miss Lily, I have to go take a personal call here so just go grab some coffee and have a seat-oh, and the break room is over there," he pointed sharply straight ahead and with a huff he was gone.

She could certainly use about a bucket full of coffee, but for now a cup would have to sustain her until lunch. Defeated, she walked into the break room, hung her coat up lazily, and grabbed a cup. Filling it almost to the brim, she treaded softly back to the desk, which was still unoccupied by Partin.

_Where the hell is he?_, her thoughts mulled around in her head, one not necessarily leading to the next, but they sufficed as entertainment for her while she awaited the return of mentor in shining armor.

Her reverie was smashed to bits as the sound of a slamming door brought her attention to the present.

"Fine, but if it happens again..." Valens decided not to pursue that line of thought effectively ending his tirade.

Lily continued to sip her coffee unaware of Valens' wandering eye.

"Who's that?" Valens asked abruptly.

Lily shot her head in the asker's direction and came face to face with the piercing stare belonging to the inscrutable Scotty Valens. Something inside of her melted, yet outward appearances remained status quo-expressionless.

"That's one of our newbie's-recently graduated at the top of her class. If she backs up those school credentials, well then, she's gonna be a firecracker out there on the field," Stillman finished up with a slight smile.

"Humph," was all that Scotty sought to bestow upon Stillman's biopic summary before taking his leave.

_What is his damage,_ Lily mused for a moment before Partin came slinking up to the side of her chair.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Wife problems. So, you, uh ready to go catch some criminals?"

_What a winner. I hope his field tactics are better than his conversational skills. What an ass, _she thought, but she still willingly followed the detective out into the cold bitter day.

(Five hours later, Noon)

Trudging in from the snowy streets and freezing winds, both mentor and newbie ran straight for the break room for some nice warm coffee and a bite to eat before the next phase of training. Their flash marathon did not go unnoticed by one Scotty Valens and his group of friends: Vera, Jeffries, and Miller.

"So tell me, is it policy now to make a mad dash to the coffee pot every time you come in from the cold, because I have noticed that..."

"Oh brother, here we go again," Miller interjected causing a wave of irritation to form over Vera.

"Look this is important to me and the only reason I ask is because I'm the one remaking the coffee more often than not and I think that we all should have designated days so that way everyone feels the annoyance and pain of having to be the only one," Vera finished triumphantly.

"You whiny, whiny baby," Miller teased as the tiny group of friends burst into laughter.

"Whatever, I surrender okay," Vera waved his hands in the air before continuing "So who is this new chick-you know blond, blue eyes, tall, nice..."

"Enough," Miller warned.

"She's some new detective trainin' with Partin for homicide," Scotty replied flatly.

"Partin. Homicide. You're joking! He is a special case all his own. Does Stillman want her to quit-no, I've got an idea. How about she take Sharon Karr's old spot on our division?" Vera reasoned.

"What. No. No, no, no, no, no, and finally no. I paid my dues as far as trainin' new detectives an' I ain't doin' it again. I'm out," Valens stated coldly as he took off towards the break room.

"What a doof. Nobody said he had to train her anyhow," Vera added.

"Yes, but he is the one who usually does," Miller shot back.

Lily had been watching the happenings of the bustling detectives with peaked interest, but quickly focused down at a spot on the floor as Valens came rushing into the room. Despite the absence of words, she could still feel the eyes in the back of his head stalking her every breath and then...

"Hey, watch where you're goin'," Valens hissed as Lily shrunk back a few inches.

She hadn't meant to crash into him, but she had forgotten to release her eyes from the floor as she traveled over to the sink, thus effectively causing a head-on collision. Her stomach dropped to her feet, but with the best of courage, she managed a small "I'm sorry" before taking a seat at a nearby table. She received no reply or consolation from Valens unless you count a glare as such.

"It's going to be a long day," she whispered.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Cold Case.

Thanks a bunch to helpless.smile, White Wings and Things, Aniesa a.k.a Edwards baby, lux08, Cat 2, LME, Milena, springdreaming, RavennaNightwind, and Rhonda Rhoo for reviewing. Lots of cookies and cakes for you all. :)

Another man's folly is another man's success

"Hey Partin, can you come over here and look at this for a minute?" Jeffries signaled the detective with Lily Rush in tow over to a photo shining on the computer screen.

"Looks like your guy's been pretty busy since his release," Jeffries stated mildly, while catching an off-beat glance at Lily.

Her face paled under the lights in the room and her blue eyes had left their sparkle behind-perhaps at home? Anyhow, her shoulders sagged slightly and her mouth had been frozen into that same line of bitter contrite everyday for the past three months. The diagnosis: Partinitis. Jeffries couldn't help the smile playing on his lips. She was trying her hardest to be the best detective that she could and instead of being paired with a mentor who could accentuate those positive traits, like Scotty Valens...

_Like Scotty? Hmmm. Maybe I can arrange that. He needs someone else to baby sit his moods for a while. He might even a make a friend out of her, _Jefferies thought.

Lily quietly shuffled some stray papers on an adjacent desk more for behavioral therapy than entertainment. If she didn't get her mind off of that pompous pig, well then she just might have to make him disappear-it would be an accident of course. Nobody would miss his presence, that's for sure.

"I think I've already checked on his whereabouts for the past month Jeffries. Now go play with the other detectives at solving cold cases or digging up graves or whatever it is that you do and stay out of my way," with a collective smile, Partin grabbed Lily by the arm and ushered her outside.

Lily tried from the bottom of her soul not to seem like a sore loser, but the situation got the best of her and before her exit, a pure look of pity and terror had stolen her features.

_Oh please, Jeffries, please shoot this man. I'll go on the stand for you. I'll even take the fall, but please don't make me have to listen to this goon any longer! _

The words were there, but the chance to plead her case passed her by and now she had to force down another eight hours with this man. Oh, sheer joy!

"Nice," was all Jeffries could mutter for he was not to be her saving grace. It was just not his kind of thing, but another would soon come to her rescue.

(10:30 a.m., crime scene)

The poor guy was dead. Dead, and not coming back. His once useful testimony was now reduced to nothing, but ashes-literally. Partin and Rush had already been combing through a train wreck of potential evidence by the time Miller and Vera arrived.

Jumping from a still-moving car, Vera found himself approaching a certain detective with increasing speed, "What, you go and talk to our guy and now look at him!" Vera seethed as Partin took the gumption to step forward.

"He's not just _your guy_," He replied "He was just as much a suspect of ours," motioning to Lily "as he was yours-if not more so to us since he was tied to a recent murder."

"No. No! We've been lookin' for this guy for some eighteen years and you have the audacity to downgrade the importance of our investigation so that you could put his neck out on the line for some undercover crappy assignment!" Vera was now beyond reasoning, which left Miller to play goalie between the two advancing foes.

"It was an order from my boss to have him go undercover," Partin said testily "not mine."

"I don't give a rat's ass who gave the orders! We are now dead on the water because of your thoughtless, insensitive, and bullish attitude!" Vera now had Partin by the shirt collar, his hand raised in anticipation and would have succeeded in punching his target if Miller hadn't intervened.

She managed to place herself successfully within the line of fire before yelling, "Alright knock it off! Good grief you two are nothing, but little kids fighting over a toy. The suspect was important to the resolution of both of our cases..."

"Actually Kat, he only really was crucial for us-I mean, you could have solved your 57 year-old crime with...OUCH!"

"You stupid ass!" The one person who could have succeeded in calming the stormy waters was now throwing girly fists at Partin's face, while being held back by Vera.

"Calm it Kat-"

"Shut it Vera!" Kat commanded before turning to Partin with a pointed finger "And for the record Wally, you ever call me by my first name again and I will shoot you! Do you understand?"

His eyes widened at the thought of being mercilessly tied to a chair with Miller cackling, gun in hand.

Backing away in temporary defeat, Partin put his palms in the air, while pouting slightly before adding, "Awwww, that really hurt my feelings _Kat_ and here I thought we were friends."

"Oh, friends! Friends. Like since when have we ever been friends? I had a one-minute conversation with you and now we're friends!" She shot back incredulously.

"Ha ha. You'll believe anything, won't you Miller," he stated before running inside the house.

_Pay backs are hell_, she thought, but making his life a miserable wreck would have to wait until a more opportune time presented itself. Vera, on the other hand, was not so willing to let Partin off scot-free.

"Let's waste him," Vera decided, but the attempt was once again thwarted by Kat.

"No. No, lets just wait. When the time is right, we'll be there. We'll be there waiting," Miller beamed at Vera

"I like the way you think Miller. What d'ya say we blow this scene and go grab a cup of coffee huh?" She threw him a look of dissatisfaction and began to walk away towards the car, however, Vera did not follow.

"My treat," His voice echoed from behind, "In fact, I'll even allow you to choose a donut. So how's that sound?" For that, he was rewarded with a shoulder punch and an arm squeeze.

"Now you're talkin'," Miller laughed as she and Vera lazily passed on down the street side by side.

(11 a.m., Inside the house at the crime scene)

Partin positioned himself between Lily and the body, an act of courtesy had it been anyone else, but for this man in particular, it was just another shining example of how tasteless he could be in woman's company.

"I just don't want you to see this. This isn't for the likes of a lady's eyes. I...I just couldn't let you and ever forgive myself should it do damage to your dreams," He concluded chivalrously.

_What the hell. I am five seconds away from pushing him off the side of that bridge over there. Do damage to my dreams-my ass!_, Lily fumed, but her anger quickly extinguished at the all-too familiar sound of one man's voice.

"What's this crap you're spillin' again Partin?"

"Well, shit Scotty! You too?" Partin sighed, but was not about to give up his cool exterior, "What, did they send the whole frickin' cold case squad after me? What are you gonna give me a hard time too for being the man with the most? For taking the initiative when it comes to actually finding-"

"You're an idiot. Excuse me, I've gotta a victim to look at here," Scotty shoved him aside so that he could bend down next the pile of ash and bones.

Lily, seeing an opportunity to satisfy a curiosity, placed herself next to Scotty, her shoes tapping lightly as she strayed over to his crouched form. He looked up momentarily, face expressionless, but eyes burning bright with inquisitiveness. Lily gave a half-smile and joined him on the floor.

"I overheard two detectives..."

"Vera and Kat," Scotty cut her off as he continued his analysis of the victim's body.

"Um, they said that he was," nodding towards the skeleton, "one of your suspects for a cold case. What all involves solving a cold case-"

"I'm done here," Scotty retrieved his notebook and without further adieu, exited the room.

Lily had not been, however, persuaded to stay behind. Standing up from the floor, she hastily followed Scotty out into the fresh air.

"Look, I just wanted to know more about what is that you do," She froze some few inches behind him, "I just-I just was interested. That's all."

Her admission broke his attention away from the case file that he was reading, but it only caused him to acknowledge her presence with a frigid stare before lowering his gaze back down to the words on the paper.

At a loss, Lily tried the next best thing: introducing herself.

"I'm sorry, I bet you don't even know my name," She held out her hand and stated confidently, "I'm Lily Rush."

Now, this gesture had earned her another glance from Valens, but his words would not be quite as benign.

"I know who you are," He voiced back calmly, stepping nearer to her shivering form.

For the second time that day, she smiled. He knew who she was. Brilliant!

His face lit up in a smile all its own as he added, "And I don't care."

Her heart sank into her stomach and the once joyous smile disappeared into a sea of confusion mixed with pain. Damn he was cruel. Luckily Partin came to save the day, if one could even attach such an accomplishment to his record, for his voice was calling over the wind for his long lost protégé.

The pig was hungry.

(8 pm, headquarters)

Lily put her face down on the desk. What the hell had she been thinking? She actually thought that he might be interested in having a conversation with her-the newbie, the rookie cop! Hell no. Everyone knows that veterans don't hang with much less want to be seen out in public with a rookie. He had been so heartless though. Maybe he really was a jerk after all.

(8 a.m., headquarters)

Lily was met the next morning with a frenzy of panicked detectives including Vera, Miller, Jeffries, and Valens.

Walking briskly towards Vera, she let out an exasperated, "What's going on here?"

"Didn't you hear? Partin's been shot. Got into it with a rather rough crowd last night. He had it coming to him." Vera rolled his eyes at the over-excited desk clerk before answering Lily.

"Well, I was gonna tell you the same thing, but it looks like nerd with the word here beat me to it. No worries though. He'll be out of the hospital in no time."

Miller shot him a sideways glance as he silently mouthed the words, _I had nothing to do with it._

_Oh really_, she mouthed back.

"Oh great, now what am I supposed to do. My training isn't up for another-"

"Lily Rush. You're coming with me. We have training to do," barked Valens.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Cold Case.

Thanks so much to Rhonda Roo, RavennaNightwind, fbi-woman, Aniesa a.k.a Eric's baby, LME, shippergrl25, lux08, Dybdahl, Dancing Phalanges, toe, Cat 2, and Elfi Blue for your wonderful reviews. And always, thank you readers for taking the time to read my little story. I appreciate all of you. :)

Early bird gets the worm

She was up at the crack of dawn, shirt tucked, hair done, and suit polished all before leaving the house at a quarter to six. She had been forewarned by the rest of the crew concerning Scotty's work habits. Early riser they said and if she expected to even be remotely considered for the job as side kick, well then she would have to show him that she was capable of keeping his schedule. Why? They didn't know. They figured that he resorted to this as some sort of test. If she could run with the best, then she might be able to pin down the prize of being seen along side him out in public. Silly, but true.

It wasn't, however, worth grueling over as she passed out the door and into the still silent darkened world of Philadelphia. The streets had been cleaned, but no one except her and a few passersby had attempted to fight the cruel winds of winter just so that they could slap on a few extra hours of work before the sun had a chance to wake from its slumber. It was all relative as she hopped up the steps to the headquarters. Her glances around the dimly lit offices suggested that her new mentor was probably in the file warehouse. She looked at her watch which read 5:55 a.m. She had starting now, approximately four minutes to get her skinny butt across the courtyard, into the warehouse, and down the stairs before he took to writing her off as a slacker. She would then be christened with the name Lily Rush: Former detective-Almost made it into the big leagues/Now has-been.

_5:56. 5:57. 5:58...5:59. Time's up! I'm screwed._

Her feet scurried over pavement, through dead grass, and finally hit the welcoming stairs that led downstairs to the file room. A massive site to behold, but quite frightening now that she knew her fate as a detective was essentially held within the hands of one Scotty Valens, who at present sat stone-faced pretending to read a case file, while instituting time-checks via wrist watch.

_Time monger,_ she thought, resentful of his lack of faith in her character, but then again, he hadn't really worked with her before and excellent references from his own team probably hadn't set well with him either. She was the enemy and he, the ever-ready warrior, prepared to take on the challenging offender.

"You're late."

An immediate time check proved otherwise. It was only 5:59 a.m.

"I am not. I have one minute to spare..."

He ceased turning the pages of the file and breathing or so she thought as he shot his eyes up. "No, you're late." _I am not!_

"I'm...okay, I'm late," she admitted without cause as she aimlessly searched for a chair. None were to be found and the possibility of even having to ask him were such an item could be located was enough to turn her stomach inside out.

"Chair's over there," he lazily cocked his head to the right and kept on his way.

_There is not a chair over there because I just looked...oh, wait. There really is a chair over there. Jerk._ The day had to get better. Partin was no choir boy, but Valens turning him into a saint and it the whole process had taken all of about five minutes.

He rose from his pseudo-throne and proceeded to walk past her, put on his coat, then turned to address his new protégé. "What did he teach you? Did he let you interview a potential suspect with questions? Were you able to witness the interrogation process..."

There was no time to process his requests for more information, for as soon as he let one line of questioning out, another followed immediately. He didn't allow her to give answers. He didn't even stop for a breath or two, he just kept on. Mission: torpedo hit target. Her silence served as justification and panic rose in her throat allowing him to launch into another set of questions more specific than the last. His focus never wavered from her blue orbs. He was a pro at dragging his intended victim through the ringer.

After several more punches to her ego, his inquiries finally ceased, but now he found it necessary to intensify his stare. "Well," he stated as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh, I uh, I didn't get much action out there. I mostly did the paperwork for his cases-I mean, he took me with him on visits to crime scenes, but never to question witnesses or suspects," she finished, nervously intertwining her hands.

"Hmmm," he began as he again walked past her and started up the stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"We? _I_," emphasis was his weapon of choice, "am going to re-interview the witnesses for my case and _you_ are going to stay here," he explained.

"Stay here? And do what?"

"Wait for me to come back, oh I do have some paper work that I need filled out. It's not the same as homicide, but you'll figure it out."

"But," she argued without thinking as she moved towards his figure in the doorway.

"I said stay here!"

"Okay," she obeyed.

The next four hours were spent fumbling towards insanity. The man must have sworn off all desk duties for the last five years. Mounds of files had to be sorted, signatures written, and dates researched. Nothing was in order, total chaos ruled and as far she was concerned, if she never saw another file in her life then she would die happy. Her fingers began to cramp and her hand muscles twitched, but still, she trudged on. Maybe, somehow, her pain would prove to him her dedication...she hoped.

Scotty, however, didn't decide to haul his high and mighty ego back into the office until after Rush had already left. The table once littered with various files and such had been cleared, leaving a shiny appearance for the first time in many months. He had to admit...he was pleased. But, only pleased.

(Three weeks later, Cold Case warehouse)

"Scotty, look, I can do this," the blond-haired detective argued, but her partner refused to bury the belief that she was, unlike him, prepared for the task at hand.

It was the constant flow of normalcy that had finally caused the shy detective to snap. Eight hours a day, sometimes seven days a week of nothing, but stacks and stacks of papers tended to lean a little more on the dull side. Her enthusiasm was not motive enough to convince him that she was ready to trade in the pen for the gun. He simply wouldn't allow it, his ego wouldn't let her rise from that desk.

"You've never interviewed suspects before. Why should you start now?" Her eyes narrowed at the intended allusion that somehow she would be worn down and subsequently quit before ever gathering the guts to challenge his authority.

"You are just like Partin you know," She swung herself around towards the door, but quickly corrected her direction so that she faced him once again, "except he was a pitiful fool and you...well, you are just a jerk."

It was a split-second reaction that ignited the proceeding bitter-filled screaming match. First, the repulsed shock from Lily at ever having the nerve to bite back and second, Scotty's spark of anger that never seemed to extinguish even in the best of situations.

Stalking her into a corner, he fired "Rule number one, don't you ever undermine my authority. You want to go and play little detective here because you think in that blond brain of yours that six years of school has bought you a front row seat out on the field, but allow me to be the first to inform you-you don't know the first thing about solving a case!" His words echoed throughout the building, reverberating in her soul. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right to some extent.

"Fine. I'll stay here," she accepted quietly.

"Good. See you later."

He had won the battle, but was about to lose the war.

(Jack Carr's house, age 63, Sandra Carr's case-previous suspect)

"So, you don't know if Sandra had a lot to drink that night because you were," motioning around the living room, "here. Not at the party. Not watchin' out for your little sister-so what were ya doin'? Huh?"

"I'll tell you the same thing that I told the police forty years ago, I didn't kill my sister. I was here with our Mother and Father, sleeping-" The old man's voice was filled with unshed angst, his brown eyes piercing Scotty's as he stood to deliver the last line of his alibi.

"So you were here sleeping..."

Outside a car door slammed and out popped Lily Rush, along with Miller and Vera. Scotty stared in disbelief at his own friends. Had they really fallen over to Rush's side?


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Cold Case.

Thanks to Barbydancer, Aniesa a.k.a Eric's baby, RavennaNightwind, fbi-woman, Rhonda Roo, Elfi Blue, CarolinaH.Manning, and shippergrl25 for your encouraging reviews. And as always thanks to the readers-you keep this story going.

Truce

"Hey Valens," Lily addressed the teeming detective rather light-heartedly considering the situation begged for any reaction, but that.

"Who the hell is she!" Mr. Carr narrowed his eyes, unaware that Valens himself was shooting her with the same facial expression.

"Her name is Detective Lily Rush. Rush, this is Mr. Carr, the late Sandra Carr's brother," Miller took it upon herself to yet again diffuse another potential bomb site, earning her a cryptic gaze from Valens as Lily situated herself next to Carr.

"Well, la tee da. And just what are you callin' her in for eh? What, you need Laurel and Hardy," pointing to Vera as he stated the last name, "to play second fiddle to your interviewing skills? Well? Are you gonna arrest me or not?" The poor man was clearly out of his mind, but his tirade stilled the once anger-infested room.

Miller had her mouth agape, while Vera studied the donut currently perched in his right hand, and Valens struggled to keep his attention as it vied between Rush and Carr. Lily seemed to be the only one unaffected, her body relaxed against the back cushions of the couch, one arm placed so delicately upon the top ledge of the sofa. She almost looked bored-a vibe Scotty succeeded in catching.

"So Mr. Carr..." Lily asked gently.

"Yes."

"So, I was reading up on your case file on the way over here and I was pretty surprised that you had gotten stamped with the guilty verdict before you even had a chance to ask for a trial. Why don't you tell a little more about that."

"Mr. Carr you don't have to cause we're done here-"

"No we're not. Please continue. Tell me more about your sister." Lily took immediate control away from Scotty with her stone eyes and brick wall demeanor. He lowered himself onto the chair once more when he realized that Mr. Carr did and would truly tell his side of the story to the newbie. The most horrible part was that this very same man had been about throw Scotty out before Rush's save. This couldn't go on. She couldn't keep interrupting his world with her new techniques and unwavering inner strength. She had to go.

"I'll see everyone back at the office," Vera and Miller nodded in response, "Rush, I trust you know what to do here?" She too nodded in confidence.

_It worked. He actually is going to let me do this all on my own. Maybe he does like me after all. _These thoughts were the farthest from the truth for Scotty had a plan of his own.

(5:30 pm, Headquarters)

It had been hours since he had last laid eyes on his two friends and office wrecker Rush. His fingers tapped pure angst against the folder beneath, his stare radiated disdain for all human kind, and every two minutes he would boldly walk over to the window overlooking the entrance to the building, expecting to a glimpse of the three rebels, but this proved fruitless as well. He had had about decided that enough was enough when the group in question came strolling through the doors, cups of coffee in hand complimented by Cheshire cat grins.

"Hey there big guy, you missed one hell of an interview session with Mr. Carr. He practically spilled his guts to her-," Kat said, motioning to Lily, "What's...what's the problem?"

Her jubilee-like state wore off quickly as she found herself face to face with a sulking Valens.

"Yeah, what's your problem." Vera had a way with words, but his way rarely extracted the desired response. Scotty, for example, hopped off of the desk ledge, his landing sending chills through Rush. He _was_ angry with her. What a fool she had been.

"Nothing's wrong with me," Valens answered back nonchalantly.

_Oh shit. He's annunciating all the letters in a word. He never does that unless he's really angry about something. Oh shit...oh shit...oh shit!_

Both Miller and Vera seemed to pick up on that little tiny fact as well, but it did not deter them in their line of questioning.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Vera put his hands up in exasperation, "Nothing's ever wrong. Okay, I gotta go finish some paperwork so you can go back down to that little dungeon of yours and fume over _nothing_!"

"He didn't mean that Scotty," Miller interjected, but it was too late.

"Valens. And why don't you go follow him and take your new friend here with you. I don't need her anymore," Scotty replied.

"I have been assigned to the Cold Case division," Lily argued causing Scotty to turn furiously so that he now faced her. His eyes bore into hers, his breath flittered onto and around her face. If she could have sworn right then and there that she was not under the influence of any mind altering substances, she would have drawn more attention to the unknown emotion currently swimming behind his eyes.

"You are no longer under my direction."

"But, why..."

"Why! Because you deliberately refused to listen to me and what needed to be done. When I tell you to do something, I expect it to be done!" Scotty finished, his breathing ragged.

"You want to know why I followed you over there against your wishes," Lily was now close to tears, but she fought the good fight and waited for time to take away the need, "I wanted to learn from you. Damnit! You're the best there is and how dare you punish me for wanting to know more. I can do this job. It's my dream...it's what I've worked so hard for. Don't deny me this."

Their battle had dragged them down into the safety of the warehouse basement. He knew that she was right. He had tried to hold her back and this bothered him, but not enough to change his plan of attack.

"You will sit here," his hand banged loudly upon the desk top, "and will not move from that spot until I say when and where, which won't be for awhile. Understood."

"Yes."

"Good. Paperwork needs to be done." His fury had abated, but his determination in making her suffer for her wrong-doing had not. She silently sat down into her chair and began her duty as desk clerk.

Her coffee had long been forgotten, but her caffeine addiction would not allow her such an escape. She carefully put her fingertips to the temples of her head and began to rub soft circles. The pain eventually subsided to a dull ache, but it was only a matter of time before the pain moved down into the base of her skull and on into her neck. Her shoulders sagged for a moment giving her temporary relief, but if she was going to achieve a miracle recovery, well she had to find some Excedrin and fast. Coffee also wouldn't be a bad idea either-double caffeine.

"Somethin' wrong?" Scotty called back from the doorway.

"Yeah. Headache. I need some caffeine and an Excedrin," Rush murmured back.

"Oh," was all he said and disappeared up the stairs.

His short and cold remark combined with the ever-growing pain caused her to curse the man beneath her breath for the next five minutes-that was until he showed up again with both a cup of coffee and medicine in hand.

She squinted up towards the hand bearing the sweet relief she so needed at the moment. Taking the two tablets and the coffee from his hands, she mumbled a "thank you" and proceeded to swallow the medicine, gulping her coffee down in the process.

"Damn. I finished that off quickly," she sighed and flung the cup into the waste bin.

"Look, I'm gonna go to the local coffee joint down the street. It's better than what we have here. I'll get us a couple of coffees. Be back."

She stared back in amazement. All in a matter of thirty minutes, he had unleashed his anger on her, yelled, kicked her off his team, put her back on his team, got her a cup of coffee, gave her medicine, and now was off to get her another cup.

_What the hell._

She suppressed a tired grin and set about filing paperwork until her returned.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Cold Case.

I just want to say thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. I really do appreciate all of the responses that I have gotten on this story and your encouragement to continue has been wonderful. I do apologize greatly for not updating in forever, but I figure hearing my sob story is not needed-so please stay with me and I'll get this show back on the road. Enjoy!

Back into the ring

The stifling atmosphere seemed to have dissipated within the last few weeks, leaving mentor and newbie on a new playing field-one where Scotty spoke calmly and Lily took direction without qualms. The two had made strides in the communication department of their relationship-if it could be called that all. Regardless, the changes showed and with them a sense of relief overtook the team as they trudged on in their relentless pursuit of justice.

"Want a Swedish Fish?"

"A what?" Kat scanned the contents of the hand in front of her. Scowling slightly, she inspected each little red fish thoroughly from sight to smell before placing them back in the hand from whence they came.

"Look, are you gonna get one or what because I refuse to sit here and hold them for you while you _take_ _a look_."

"Shut up," Kat warned and threw the last fish back onto Vera's palm, "and what are you doing anyway? Oh, right, nothing. So you have time to sit there and hold them out in mid air for me to _look_ at, don't you Vera?"

"No I don't so just forget I even offered," shoving the last few bites of fish into his mouth.

"You ruin everything, you know that?" not waiting for the answer, Miller grabbed her current case file and fled towards the silent refuge of the warehouse...or so she thought.

"Scotty, it's not that simple. You can't just throw out your opinion like its fact. The man hadn't even had a chance to spit out his own name before the police had him hand-cuffed and pinned against the kitchen wall like some criminal," the words of his new-found confident partner reached his ears and though they made sense, still his ego got the best of him...yet again.

His silence only angered her, but she knew that he would not let her have the last word.

"You know Rush, you don't know a damn thing about this case...."

"I know everything about this case Valens. I have studied the notes, read the case file from front to back, memorized the witnesses statements, and even took home a photograph of the victim so that I don't ever forget what is at stake here-justice!" Her face beat red with fury, but she held her ground with Scotty and he seemed to take on her challenge.

Expecting him to step forward and tear away at her like a lion with razor-sharp insults and false allegations, he surprised her with a swift back step against the wall. He allowed the dimly lit corner to cast shadows upon his form, further sending Rush into a tail spin.

_What the hell!_, her mind babbled incoherently as she forced herself to watch the nightmarish scene unfold.

He never moved from his spot, just sent waves of deep-seeded resentment through his stare. She gulped slightly, but her strong demeanor kept shining through his darkened world. She hoped her unwillingness to surrender would ward him off from sending another attack her way. No such luck, but this waiting for some form of response was killing her and to top it all off, the only sounds heard within the vast cavern of the warehouse were the inhale and exhale of their own breathing. She had definitely underestimated her partner this round and it very well could cost her the victory she so needed. Winning this battle could fly her to the moon in terms of freedom when working future cases, but lets not get stingy now! She would be plenty satisfied if this win would be enough to get him to back off of her back for a while.

She snapped back into action, her feet claiming every inch of ground she passed over as hers and hers alone. No way in hell she was gonna let him intimidate her! She was Lily Rush and no one tells Lily Rush what to do-ever.

"You plannin' on talkin' to me today or should I schedule us an appointment with the headquarters counselor," she that she had won the game simply by his lack of response. She had caught him off guard with her own interpretation of his take on the English language, however, he remained entombed within his self-imposed silence.

Again mistaking his stilled lips for defeat, she triumphantly threw her hands behind her back and proceeded to walk back to her desk or what she had come to affectionately call "the ball and chain".

"You're all about the self-righteous bit aren't you?" Her blood ran cold at the mocking tone of his voice.

Arms still crossed, Scotty straightened himself, while lingering a few steps behind her-she had yet to turn around and face his accusation. He knew that he'd struck a nerve, which delighted him to some extent.

"You talk a great game, but somehow I find that it's....just that. All talk. You show me some real skills and maybe I'll let you come out and play with the rest of us, but until then-no go," the finality in his voice crushed her. The judgment had been handed down and she could either comply with the sentence or hit the road. The ball was in her court now.

"I have shown you," she whispered, but Kat's heavy laden footsteps aroused both detectives from their defensive stances. The battle was over for now.

"Hey there Kat," Lily greeted her coworker and stepped forward so that the two women could see each other better. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Scotty robotically filing various papers into labeled folders-he was doing _her_ job. Not that she cared in the least, but it was the principle of the matter.

"You got something for us," Lily asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice, "If you do, I hope it's on that Sandra Carr case-really wanna get that thing solved."

"No such luck..._Bam!_...I'm afraid," Kat's attention quickly shifted from Lily to Scotty, who was finding the art of slamming file drawers to be very therapeutic.

"I said knock it off Scotty!"

"He won't. You see he's making a point," Lily whispered.

"So, being an ass doesn't need an excuse. It's not like it takes talent...._Thwap!_" Miller's eyes narrowed, "Okay, that's it!"

Lily watched helplessly as Kat stormed towards Scotty's present location, effectively ending his tirade by ripping every file and folder known to man from his hands, tossing them into the cabinet, and finally slamming it shut one last time.

"There. Ya happy!" There would have been an objection from Scotty, however Kat was just getting started, "Cause I just can't take much more of this...this childish behavior from you boys. First I have to deal with Vera's crappy attitude and now your mini-meltdown," she shook her head violently before adding, "Get it together Valens!"

"Don't yell at me Miller," his voice cut through the noise perfectly-tone low, deadly even.

"Miller, ya down there?" All three heads shot up towards the direction of Vera's voice. No one made a sound.

"Yes, I'll be up in a sec...okay, you two behave yourselves down here," zeroing in on Scotty, she added, "and you-stop being an ass."

"Yes Mam," he responded, saluting her as she made her way back up the stairs and out of sight.

With Kat gone, silence recaptured its former stronghold, leaving both to struggle with the decision to either open up a new conversation or let the lack of words fill up the empty room. The latter was chosen, allowing Scotty the escape he so desired, while Lily returned to her desk. Neither saw the other for the rest of the day.

(6 a.m., Headquarters)

"Rush," Stillman's voice rang loudly through the quiet offices, catching Lily as she came in the doors.

"Boss, what's up?" Still shivering from the cold, she ran her hands through her dampened hair, hoping that she hadn't managed to get herself kicked off the squad in regards to yesterday's mishap.

"Nothing. Just wanted to know how everything's going?" She could lie and tell him that everything was just peachy or tell him the awful truth-she was miserable.

"It's all good. I like it. I really do. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to work with such fine detectives."

"Hmmm," she waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Could he possibly have seen through her lie? Nah. She was a pro.

"Well, I'll be seeing you around, I guess..."

"Yeah, you'll be seeing me around. Go get 'em Rush," smiling at her nervousness, he chuckled slightly, patting her on the back as he made his way towards his office.

"Weird," Rush mumbled before she stepping down into her dungeon for another lovely day of strained conversation and bitter coffee.

(Noon, Warehouse basement)

The day had brought little so far to help soothe the ailing relationship between the two detectives. The only words spoken had been out of necessity, but even then they managed to have their heads buried in files or shoved down into some meaningless wad of papers so as not to risk having to make eye contact.

"I'm gonna get some coffee," Lily jumped at her own words, her voice sounding so deafening, "You want some?"

Looking up briefly for the first time in what seemed like days, he gave her a quick "Nah."

"Okay. Be back," she hated to admit it, but the acknowledgement of her presence sort of livened her up a bit.

Returning five minutes later, cup in hand, Lily stepped lightly down the metal stairs. Maybe they could work through this and eventually be friends....

"Yeah, I know. She is so hell bent on bein' a pain in my ass-yeah, she's getting coffee right now....Well, I have her doing paper work at the moment....I know she can do the job, but...."

"You bastard," the words came out a mere whisper, however forceful with unshed tears.

"What...wait a minute," Scotty focused in, causing Lily to take a step back, "What did you just say-did you just call me a bastard?"

"Yeah, I did and I'll tell you something else Valens! You wanna talk about me, then do it to my face. I'm a big girl. I can handle it!"

_Smack!_

Engulfed by an overwhelming sense of fear, Lily brought her hands up to her arms, hugging herself in defense, while Scotty attempted to nurse his aching hand. She knew that he had a temper, but what if it escalated from him just hitting walls to actually throwing punches? The thought caused her to weaken, shrinking ever further into herself.

"Look, I'm sorry...I...," but it was too late, Lily was already in tears.

Reaching towards the frozen air in between their bodies, Lily reacted, flinching in response.

"Don't touch me," her words laced with disgust, she hurriedly ran up the stairs taking two at a time.

Watching her retreating form, Scotty once again hit the wall-this time he was angry with himself.

(7 a.m., Headquarters)

She was late. Practically screaming through the doors, she carried her caffeine-craving body over to the smiling faces of her coworkers. Vera currently had a donut sticking halfway out of his mouth as he motioned for her to take one from the heaping box.

"I don't eat..."

"Yeah, I noticed how you don't eat so here, take one," holding the box up to her nose.

"Well, what I was going to say was that I don't eat donuts, but since you are being so generous-I think I'll have one," grinning from ear to ear she searched the pile of sweet goodness for a chocolate glaze, but when found, retreated from snatching it up.

Sensing her hesitation, Vera furrowed his eyebrows, asking "What's wrong?"

"I, uh, wanted the chocolate glaze, but there's only one left."

"Oh, yeah, that's Scotty's favorite. You better leave that one for him..."

"I'll take it," and with one swipe, Lily had the prize in hand.

"Ooookay," Vera's attention was pulled from Lily's beaming face, seeing as Scotty chose that very moment to appear from downstairs.

Taking this as an opportunity for revenge, she lifted the donut to her mouth and gently took a bite.

"Hmmm, this is good Scotty. Too bad it was the last one."

"I tried to tell her..."

Ignoring Vera's babbling, he strolled nonchalantly over to Lily, her cheeks stuffed with dough, chocolate outlining the corners of her mouth.

"You eatin' my donut," he spoke, face colored with seriousness.

"Yeah," she said before taking the last bite.

"Well, _that _was _my _donut," she couldn't help but laugh at his childishness.

"_Well_, if you want some, then I guess you're gonna have to come and lick it off."

"I...," dumbfounded, Scotty could only respond with a string of incomprehensible words.

_And five, four, three, two...one! We have a winner!_

Lily-one, Scotty-zero.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Cold Case or Fleetwood Mac's Gypsy song.

Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: fbi-woman, Ebony 10, Rhonda Roo, Mari, lulubell6, aeternus aenigma, Aniesa a.k.a Eric's baby, and Anime Fan Team.

She's your gypsy

Kicking the door open, Scotty entered the bleak hallway to his humble abode. Throwing the keys lazily on an adjacent table, one that happened to already be in a state of disarray, he mumbled and groaned, speeding down the hallway towards the kitchen. Man, was he hungry. His thoughts briefly focused on the missed donut, his stomach growling in response. It wasn't that he didn't eat anything at all except that donut, but it was tradition for his stomach to have a filling sugary substance every morning before he started his day there at the office.

_...And that smiling, blue-eyed, blond witch cheated you out of that delicious donut. Now what are you gonna do about it? Huh?_

"I don't know," Scotty spoke the words clear as day for all to hear, though no one was listening. The realization that he was having an exclusive conversation with his own brain caused him to laugh out loud.

"Geez, I gotta get out more," stepping away from the refrigerator, bringing meat and mustard with him, he sat down at the table and began to fix the much needed sandwich.

He hated to be alone. It was when he was alone that he found himself focusing more and more on what he didn't have instead of what he could be finding. His hand steadied, the knife hanging by a bare grip over the slice of bread as he allowed his eyes to travel over to a well-adorned mantel flooded with pictures-flooded with his past. He settled on one picture in particular-the one of Elisa smiling, while drinking coffee at the local cafe shop. He remembered that day so vividly, the way the trees swayed in the wind, the calmness of the world around them, her voice, him thinking how this was forever.

"Forever," breaking out of his reverie, the disgust in his voice finally came to surface.

He had repressed her memory and yet he was surrounded by her at every corner within his home. He couldn't move on, he didn't have the heart to do so, at least not now.

The butter knife had long since fallen within the middle of his sandwich, but he wanted to spend just a little more time basking in the joy of her smile. Tracing every line of her face with his eyes, he began to feel the slight trickle of a lone tear making its way down his cheek. He gruffly wiped it off with his hand.

_...Not very manly I'd say. So are you ever going to move on with your life? _

"No, not yet. It's too soon. You know that."

_...She would want you to be happy. She loved you and you loved her, but she was unselfish in her love. _

"It's betrayal."

_...Just something to think about._

"Yeah, whatever," sighing heavily, he finally returned his attention back to the forlorn sandwich on the plate.

(2 am)

He had eaten hours ago, but sleep still evaded his mind and body. Sliding over to the side of the bed, he gathered a lone pair of sweatpants from the floor and made his way back into the kitchen. He flinched as soon as his bare feet hit the cold tile, rubbing a hand over his face, he tried to regain his whereabouts. Flipping on the light, his eyes strained in vain to accommodate the new source of stimulation.

"Ah, this sucks," he moaned, closing the cabinet door after sitting down the can of coffee that would soon bring him nothing but more moments of wakefulness.

Tottering around to the coffee maker, the grounds were thrown in haphazardly and the power set to "ON". Now all he had to do was find something of remote interest to keep his attention until the sweet aroma filled the air with its intoxicating power. However, his search proved fruitless. Television only offered bogus products at this time of night and games just weren't his thing. His thoughts once again shifted to the mantel piece and to Elisa. He watched her still form within the captured moment, waiting for her to come to life, begging for the much needed peace his soul craved at this late hour. Nothing. She just stared back motionless.

_....She's dead._

"I know," the words came out, but of a choked nature and silent, which in no way mirrored how he felt inside. He was anything, but quiet, his brain whirling with questions that he didn't have answers to, an incomprehensible mess.

Frustrated, Scotty left the haunting frame and wandered on over to his stereo. It wasn't much to look at, but it got the job done in terms of sound and that's all he ever really cared about anyway. As long as he could hear and feel the music at the same time, then all was spiffy.

"Let's see what we got here," his hands traveled through shelf after shelf, but nothing seemed to call out to him.

Considering the search a failure, he instead flipped it on and braced himself for whatever lay ahead in the music department. He was pleasantly surprised, a greeting from Fleetwood Mac was always welcome. His mind drifted away as the Stevie Nicks sang of love, loss, and redemption.

"_...And it all comes down to you." _

Elisa was had definitely been his gypsy, but somehow in the seconds he had just spent staring back at her photograph, someone else had come to mind.

(7 am, Headquarters)

"You've been mum since you got here this morning. Were you planning on telling me what's wrong or should I just chalk this up to the calm before another one of your little spiels on the difficulty of detective work and sacrifice," Lily's blue eyes pierced the walls that surrounded her moping partner.

Inwardly flinching at her words, he lifted his head to meet her gaze head on, but within her stare, he found nothing akin to bitterness or anger. Silently thanking God for whatever forgiveness she was offering him at the moment, he decided to take a chance and let her in just a smidge.

"Nothing's wrong," her eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Well, I uh, I had a little issue last night, but nothing too severe as you can see since I'm alive and here," he chuckled slightly at the end of his omission, hoping that his nonchalant attitude would settle whatever curiosity she had about the situation. It didn't.

"Were you thinking about her?"

"Wha..., about who?"

"You know exactly who I mean Scotty. Stop playing coy. It annoys the hell out of me," her lips pursed in agitation as she continued to write out her reports.

"Excuse me, I don't owe you any explanation..."

"You were the one who started talking about some issue that happened last night and being concerned about you, I tried to get you to talk about it. It helps to have a someone to talk to you know Scotty because otherwise it just all builds up and..."

"Alright! Yes, I was thinking about her. You happy?" His eyes flashed in defiance of her prying attitude.

"Does your anger ever get to take a day off?"

"How can it take a day off when I'm with you all of the time!"

"You weren't with me last night," he watched her chew on the tip of her pen, totally relaxed in the wake of his present state.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm with you everyday at work in person, in the car, upstairs, downstairs, at home..." He stopped mid-sentence. Was that a Freudian slip? And furthermore, did she hear it.

Both eyebrows raised this time, her lips fighting a twisted smile. "At home did you say?"

"Yeah, I said at home. What are implying exactly?" Part of him really wanted to know what the frick was going on in that head of hers, while the other was scared beyond belief that she would say what he painfully wanted to hear-she was happy that he thought of her.

"I'm not implying anything Mr. Valens, just commenting on a rather interesting scenario. I had always imagined myself as being the last thing that you would have wanted weighing on your mind. Am I wrong or has that changed since the last time we spoke?" She was dead serious in her inquiry and that stilled his breath.

Attempting to calm his nerves, he began rearranging the boxes on his desk, glancing up every few seconds to see if she had found something more interesting. She had not and was still awaiting his answer to her question.

"What d'you think?" He could see the wheels turning in her mind, trying to decipher his last statement, but without any luck.

Shaking her head, she spoke steadily, "I'm going to Sonia Carr's house to try and gather some more information about our victim."

Grabbing his coat, he followed her towards the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'm coming with you. I can't have you messing up my case file now can I."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"NO you're not." In a flash, she had fled the scene and was now halfway up the stairs leaving Scotty in the dust.

"Lily!" Fleeing towards the open door at the top of the winding staircase, he arrived just in time to witness Lily pilfering his precious donut for the second time this week.

"Hey! You stealin' my donut again!" Reacting to Valen's presence, Lily bit in to the donut and ran for the door.

"Hey, come back here Rush! Rush!" Speeding past curious glances and worried detectives, he managed to zero in on her escaping form.

Hunting her down had been easier than he'd originally thought. By side-stepping numerous pedestrians along the sidewalk, he found himself positioned right behind her within seconds.

Striking at just the precise moment, Scotty's fingers wound themselves around her arm, yanking her back violently. "Ow!"

"Sorry..."

_Slap!_

Immediately reaching up to nurse the stinging the spot where her hand had come in contact with his cheek, he tried to stop the pain by pressing in on the red area. "What the hell was that for Rush?"

Her incredulous stare caused a chuckle to escape his lips. "Just what do you think you're doing Valens! That hurt."

"Well so did your slap...and by the way, you have some chocolate on your mouth," he waited for her to take the bait, but she remained silent, "What was it that you said to me the other day? For the life of me I can't remember what it was-something about..."

"I said if you want some, then you'll have to come and lick it off." She eyed him closely.

"Hmm, I may have to take you up on that offer since you're plannin' on stealin' my donut every mornin'," and with absolutely no warning, he lowered his lips to the side of her mouth, acting as if he were about to do just as she had instructed.

Panic-stricken, Lily jumped back and out of his reach. Noticing her heaving chest and dilated pupils, he couldn't help but bask in the knowledge that he had caused such a drastic reaction.

"Do I make you nervous Rush?"

TBC.....


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone, I know it's been awhile. I am finally back and without any ailments.

As before, I do not own Cold Case.

Thanks to all who have reviewed and to those who have read this story so far. I appreciate all of you so much! :)

I can't sleep

_"Nobody's lost, but nobody wins." Azure Ray-Sleep_

_Do I make you nervous Rush?_ As soon as the words had left his mouth regret followed. Flirtation was forbidden in his book. A rule of sorts that had been enforced out of great sorrow, as a way to cope in response to Elisa's death. He figured that a boundary like this would keep his heart faithful to all that they had shared, not to mention her memory. The guilt like acid started to bubble and burn his stomach.

"Valens?"

Snapping back into reality, Scotty registered what felt like a hand resting on his upper arm. Instantly focusing on the offending party, he scanned the delicate fingers that were so gingerly placed upon his clothed skin. He was at an impasse, either snatch his arm back and risk hurting her feelings or confront the inquiring stare and risk exposing his soft underbelly that he so desperately tried to conceal from the outside world. He wouldn't allow himself to choose the latter.

Wrenching his arm from her grasp, he glared into her eyes hoping to scare her off or at least make her think twice before ever steering such an act of concern his way again.

"We gotta get back."

She didn't affirm his statement nor did she deny. She simply stood there, eyes squinting and mouth closed. What could she say? Nothing, and nothing is what kept them company on the walk back to the office.

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It was well past eleven p.m. when Scotty found himself once again dragging his sorry arse into the dimly lit cave he liked to call home. The silence did not improve upon his and Lily's arrival at neutral territory, which just made the remainder of the work day a hellish nightmare. He had stopped counting the number of indecipherable looks that Lily had shot his way from across the room, particularly because the woman fired one every five seconds and he just didn't have enough fingers and toes to count them all. His loss, because he was pretty sure that if he had guess the total would rest somewhere around a trillion.

Smacking his face with all five fingers, he let out a groan followed by a hefty sigh.

"Tomorrow has got to be better. I can't handle this much stress...._Ring!_....Why can't people just leave me alone."

"Valens..."

"Scotty, what have I told you about answering your phone like you have no family. It's so cold and impersonal, I just can't stand it..."

"Ma...Ma...Ma!"

"What Scotty?"

"Why are you calling this late? Is something wrong with dad? Are you hurt?"

A million different scenarios trampled through his conscious mind. His mother never called this late unless there was an emergency, but this call he figured would go ahead and ruin the former "never" situation.

"No, I'm fine and your father is in bed, but I knew that if I didn't remind you of the dinner tomorrow night at Alma de Cuba you'd forget just like last time. It's a once a year thing and I'd like to see my son once in awhile. Oh, and I've got a surprise for you. You remember Maria from high school, well I ran into her the other day and guess what she works right here in Philadelphia......."

He listened for another good fifteen minutes as his mom attempted to paint a portrait of him and Maria as the potential happy couple of the century with doves and flowers abound, but he couldn't stand it any longer. She was driving him nuts. He liked being alone. Didn't he?

"Ma....Ma, listen I gotta go, but I'll be there tomorrow night at seven p.m. sharp. Love you."

"I love you too my little boy. Bye"

"Bye."

The line went dead and for some reason that one sound caused such a sadness in him that he quickly hung up the receiver.

"Scotty get a grip." Shaking his head, he left the kitchen and sulked off to bed.

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Lily on the other hand, was not feeling the effects of a hard day's work mostly because her anger was overriding all other chemical messages to her brain. She had spent the past two hours mulling over recent events, well actually her thought-storming party didn't really get off the ground until after her coat, shoes, and purse hit the bedroom wall.

"Ass."

This was the first word she had found time to utter since she had gotten home. And now silence engulfed her once again.

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Tossing and turning through folds of sheets, Scotty found himself unable to sleep. Fruitless in trying to pin point the exact cause of his insomnia, he stilled his mind, willing himself to find solace within memories of Elisa, but the yearned for result never came. Was her effect waning? Could he be forgetting her already? If the answer was an emphatic "no", then why was he finding it difficult to be relaxed. Usually, a mental picture of her could at any moment bring a wave of calmness over him, but not this time. So why?

_It's her._

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"Coffee?"

She stared with obvious disgust at the foam cup for a moment before raising her blue eyes back up to Scotty.

"No."

Gliding past him on her way down to the file room, he took to watching her every move. She really was a fragile creature and if he had met her out on the street in a world where her badge was nonexistent, he would've guessed her for a scared little girl in a woman's body. However, this was not the case as the never-ending hours of training and classes seemed to have successfully knocked out that part of her or at least kept the child-like piece in check. My how she was strong.

"What?"

In response to her voice, he realized that his wanderings had caused him to lose all awareness of his surroundings. Embarrassed, a slight tinge of red cursed up his cheeks.

"Nothing."

"Whatever Valens."

_Snap._

"Okay Rush, come out with it."

Unwavering, she kept the appointed path leading down to the basement, effectively sending Scotty into a rage.

"Don't walk away from me Rush!"

"I'm not having this discussion with you up here."

Her voice echoed over her footsteps as she descended the stairs, Scotty not far behind and as soon as her feet hit the ground she felt herself being spun around in another direction.

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

"What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you!"

She felt his pointed finger digging into her chest.

"Get your finger away from my body right now before I have to break it."

"You don't seem like the violent type."

"Only when I'm in certain company."

"I must be rubbing off on you."

"You're an asshole!"

"Shut up!"

Before he could register what was happening, she had managed to shove her body up and off of the steel structure from behind, supplying her with more than enough force to push him backwards.

Almost losing his balance, his hands shot out to try and reestablish his footing, but it was too late. She had caught him off guard.

"You don't ever tell me to shut up Valens!"

Quickly regaining his former standing position, he charged up to her, a finger this time pointing directly into her face.

"You don't ever push me. You got it."

He didn't yell. He didn't have to. He knew that his barely audible tone was enough to get the message across. Keeping his finger outstretched, he surveyed her face, watching emotion after emotion come and go like ships in the night. No certain one surfaced long enough to allow him access. He had to agree that he was just as lost as she was when it came to their working relationship-if it could even be called that now. To him, all they had to tend to now was a pile of ashes.

"What did I say about that finger."

He couldn't move. He was fixated on every line, every crease that flowed throughout her face. His brain begged for a timeout so it could talk some sense into him, but his heart for some reason had taken the lead, which is why he didn't stop when his finger began to caress her skin. Her eyes fought to stay open as he brought a whole hand to her cheek, an action which caused her to lean into his touch.

"Lily..."

Upon hearing her name, her eyes slowly opened like a flower to a new sunrise.

_You hate him. Remember?_

_What about Elisa? Have you forgotten her?_

Freezing in place, both detectives realized the severity of the situation and backed out of each other's space. Luckily words didn't have to spoken as Scotty's phone rang through his coat pocket.

"Valens. Ya, I'm gonna be there. Give me twenty minutes. Love you too. Bye."

Trying his best to avoid her eyes, he took his time in throwing on his coat, while fiddling with the pockets to make sure that they weren't inside out and when that was done, only then did he make any attempt to meet her gaze.

"I'm late for a dinner."

Silence.

"See you tomorrow Rush."

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"Why are you late? I just don't understand you Scotty. I call you and...."

"Don't worry mom, I'm here now. Isn't that enough?"

Shrugging her shoulders at her son's lack of ability to be on time anywhere since the day he was born, Elena Valens buried the offense and instead welcomed Scotty with a warm smile.

"I saved you a seat next to Maria."

Following his mother's gaze, there gently placed next to his chair was one Maria Alterra. She couldn't have been more beautiful and by the looks of her skin under the soft lights, she hadn't let one inch of her see the sun for more than a minute. She was perfect. Her black hair hung in ringlets down to her shoulders, the purple dress of satin hugged the curvaceous figure underneath, but most importantly chocolate brown eyes shown brightly in spite of the faint lighting.

"Scotty, good to see you again. I hear that you are doing well as a detective. Moving up in the world."

Who was she kidding? He wasn't a squad leader, well unless you count him leading Lilly into the dark abyss otherwise known was their job.

"I do alright. And you, what are you doin' these days?"

"Oh, I work for Beacon and Associates. I'm a lawyer."

"Good for you. Talkin' about doin' well."

Seating himself quietly, he glanced inquiringly at Maria. She was not the same person that he had met in high school. No, she was an even better version of who she was in high school. Still, something stopped him from taking the bait...or someone.

"So Scotty, are you seeing anyone?"

TBC.........


End file.
